OPP seeks driver who struck officer with car while fleeing arrest

Provincial police are looking for the driver of a vehicle that struck an officer and led police on a chase on a snowy road in heavy traffic Wednesday before the car was found abandoned on Highway 401.

Officers in Quinte West, west of Belleville, were called to reports of a dangerous driver at about 5:25 p.m.

They found the black Pontiac G5 with Ontario plates BYYJ 064 soon after.

But as officers got out of their cruiser, it sped away, striking one officer, who was later treated for minor leg injuries.

With bad road conditions and commuter traffic, the car, which was last spotted heading east, was able to escape pursuing police. They were able to locate the car soon after on the eastbound shoulder just west of Napanee.

A search of the area by sniffer dogs and members of the force’s emergency response team came up empty.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Quinte West OPP at 613-392-3561 or, anonymously, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.